


Stuck With Each Other

by intolauren



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, fluff without (much) plot, strangers AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2018-10-25 22:35:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10773873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intolauren/pseuds/intolauren
Summary: Prompt: It’s late, everything in the airport is closed, and our flight just got cancelled. I have never met you before but I guess we’re stuck together until the next flight.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Another title, another song lyric. Does anyone else still jam out to the song Stuck With Each Other by Shontelle whilst thinking about Olicity? Just me? Okay. It felt right to title this fic after that song because they kind of literally are stuck with each other. 
> 
> This was the original fic I started for Camp NaNoWriMo but 5k words in I started to struggle. I've actually started the next (and final) chapter so hopefully it won't be too long before I finish and post it! I was hoping posting the first part would motivate me to finish it... so yeah. I hope you like this! Thanks to otpisms on Tumblr for the prompt. Also, thanks to bokayjunkie here on AO3 (and everywhere else!) for always letting me muse and for reading through this and encouraging me to keep writing even when I feel like everything I write just sucks. I super appreciate it <3 
> 
> This is un-beta'd so all mistakes are mine. I'm always looking for a beta if anyone wants to volunteer though! I would really appreciate the help more than I can express. Feel free to send me a message on Twitter @butpeaceyo if you're interested :)

“Was that your boyfriend?” 

Felicity looked up, startled. Was this guy speaking to _her_? 

“Excuse me?” 

She took a stab in the dark and guessed that yes, he was speaking to her. Given that he was now smiling at her. 

“On the phone. Was that your boyfriend?” 

Felicity frowned. Why was he asking her that? Why were guys so hell bent on asking girls about their boyfriends before even asking them about themselves?

“No, my girlfriend actually. I date girls,” she grinned, enjoying the shocked expression that he tried to conceal by nodding his head and looking away quickly. “I'm kidding. Not that there's anything wrong with dating girls, I just… don't bend that way. And anyway, regardless of who I am or am not dating, don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop on someone’s conversation, a complete stranger’s can I just add, and _then_ ask them who they were talking to? Don't you have manners?” 

This time he looked apologetic. A little uncomfortable too, but mostly just sorry. For himself probably, for ending up stuck talking to a babble-mouth like her. Then again, he started the conversation. Somewhat rudely she might add. So on his head be it. It's not like there was anyone else who looked even remotely interesting to talk to anyway. And besides, he was cute. A tired and bedraggled kind of cute, like he hadn't slept for more than a few hours last night, but cute all the same. So she’d put aside his rudeness of eavesdropping on her conversation as long as she could keep looking at him. He definitely reminded her of someone but she couldn't remember who. Probably some model on the front of a magazine somewhere. He had the jawline for it. And the eyes. And the perfectly groomed facial hair. And definitely the shoulders. And probably also the - anyway, where was she? Right, insulting a cute, model-like stranger. 

“I'm sorry. I get a little… _chatty_ when I'm stressed.” Felicity offered, smiling apologetically at him. 

“And insulting?” He grinned. 

She could tell he was joking but she still felt bad. Damn this cute, model-like stranger for making her feel bad when he was the one who had been rude in the first place. 

“Sorry about that. It comes with the chattiness. I'm honestly not a mean person by nature, it's just… anxiety,” She blushed, shaking her head, effectively dismissing herself automatically before she went into over sharing mode and ran her fingers through her hair. 

_Phew, why had it suddenly got so hot in here?!_

He laughed softly, clearly sensing her discomfort. “Don't worry, I was kidding. I'm the one who should apologise. Because you're right. It is rude to listen to people’s conversations and it is rude to assume they’re talking to their boyfriend and it is rude to then confirm or deny your own suspicions by asking them who they were talking to. I guess I get a little… nosy when _I’m_ stressed.” 

Felicity laughed too. Funny and cute? Maybe he wasn't a model after all. Weren't models supposed to be boring? She internally rolled her eyes at herself at that thought. Just because people were pretty, didn't automatically mean they were boring, that's just what she’d told herself several times a day when her self confidence had been at an all time low during college. She wasn't supposed to be so bitter anymore. She’d left that part of her behind in the garbage sack with her dark makeup and jet black, box hair-dye. Well, for the most part anyway. 

“You strike me as the kind of guy who would have asked a girl that question even if you hadn't been stressed.” 

He held his hands up in innocence and shrugged. 

“I'll just be over here pretending that didn't hurt my feelings,” he grinned. 

Felicity blushed again. She probably shouldn't have said that to a complete stranger. But it was 2am and she’d been in this airport for almost 12 hours straight and if she’d had any control over her brain to mouth filter before, it was definitely wearing thin by now. She knew he was joking about it having hurt his feelings but she felt bad all the same. It wasn't really fair of her to assume this guy was like every other guy she’d ever known. 

The storm that had been threatening to arrive all weekend had finally arrived on the day she was supposed to be flying home and every single news channel in the country was reporting about it. It was bad, probably one of the worst storms in the last few years, and it was causing chaos all over the state. All over a few states, actually. Airports and train stations had been on lockdown for hours now due to conditions being way too treacherous to travel in. Felicity had been almost grateful that her flight had been delayed to begin with because she wasn't the best flyer anyway, let alone flying in bad weather conditions, but 12 hours later she was starting to consider blackmailing someone into letting her fly a plane herself. It couldn't be that hard, right? She was a quick learner and _god_ , she needed a shower and her bed. She also didn't like thinking about having to miss work, given that had she taken her flight when she was supposed to, she’d have been setting her alarm right about now, ready to get up to go in just five hours time. Even if her plane took off now, she still wouldn't make it back in time for work. And where most people would delight in the possibility of having time off work, for Felicity, it was just another thing to worry about. She’d only have twice as much to do whenever she did make it in and a miserable and insatiable boss who would never let her forget it. 

She picked at her nail polish, not knowing what else to say to the cute guy who had somehow ended up in her life. She could probably leave it now, that's usually how random encounters with strangers in airports tended to go; you chat briefly about directions or the time or the weather and then you go on with your life as you were before. But if she was going to be stuck here for the foreseeable future, it would be nice to have someone to talk to. She’d been worrying herself into a ball of tension all day because she’d had no one to talk to and all her stuff was checked in so she had nothing to do. The battery on her tablet had died hours ago and her phone was fast heading the same way and the only book she had in her carry-on was one she’d already read, one she’d thrown into her bag without paying attention to in her rush from her hotel to the airport. Her rush that was completely and absolutely pointless given that her flight was now delayed by six hours. The stores and restaurants had closed a couple of hours ago and so she’d been sitting in the same metallic chair for the last four hours, not daring to stray too far from the flight gate just in case the delays suddenly cleared and she could be the first in the queue for boarding, only standing up every half an hour or so to stretch her back and legs. Sitting gave her way too much time to think. And thinking was something Felicity was all too good at. Or bad at, depending on which way she looked at it. She could think her way out of any situation, her brain was impossibly brilliant sometimes, but that same brain often worked in overdrive even when there was no situation that needed working out of, meaning she thought about things she’d really rather not think about. Like being stuck in this airport for the rest of her life. Like dying right here on this stupidly uncomfortable bench. Like her mom finding out that she hadn't bothered wearing makeup or a cute dress that day when she was called to identify her body. Hence the ball of tension she had become over the last few hours. So it would be nice to maybe have someone to talk to, even if they only slightly distracted Felicity from her overactive imagination.

Not to mention that this guy was definitely the only person around her age at this gate, and not that there was anything wrong with middle-aged and old people but if she had to talk to someone, she’d rather it be someone who could actually remember being a teenager because it wasn't that long ago, as opposed to someone who only remembered it because they talked about “the good old days” so much. And okay, mostly she just wanted to keep talking to him because he was by far one of the most attractive people she’d seen in a long time, and she’d just spent the weekend in _Vegas_ which was the second or third home of the ridiculously beautiful. So go figure. 

“It wasn't my boyfriend, by the way.” 

“Hmm?” 

“On the phone. It wasn't my boyfriend because I don't have a boyfriend. It was my mom. She gets kinda sad when I leave. She doesn't see me often enough, she says. So she was just calling to see if I'm alright, you know with the flight delays and stuff. She knows I panic and stress myself out when things like this happen. But I'm sure she would have called even if my flight wasn't delayed. She calls a lot, especially right after I leave her. She wanted me to go back to her place and stay another night, pay for another flight and fly home tomorrow once the storm has passed but I don't think I could take another night here. The heat drives me crazy. Amongst other things about this place that also drive me crazy. At least when I'm sitting here in the airport, it feels like I'm actually leaving.” 

He smiled, softly. 

“Sounds like your mom cares about you a lot.” 

“She does. In her own way. But she also happens to be one of the other things that drives me crazy about this place,” Felicity laughed. 

“Is there a parent on this planet who doesn't drive their kid crazy?” 

“I guess not. But my mum is just… she's my mom. That's all there is to it.” 

She wasn't about to try and explain her mother to a complete stranger. She couldn't even explain her mother to someone who knew her. 

“So. Where are you headed? After this storm passes I mean,” Oliver asked, smiling. 

“Star City. What about you?” 

“Me too. What a small world,” 

Felicity laughed. “More like what a small coincidence given that the gate for the flight to Star City is right _there_.” 

“Even so. Not many people want to go to Star City anymore. It's not exactly tourist hotspot of the year,”

“I'm not a tourist, I live there, and you can't help where you live. Or, well, you _can_ , I guess. I could move if I wanted to. But I don't think I want to. I like the rain and how it's hardly ever above 15 degrees Celsius. And okay, I get that literally everyone thinks it's a dangerous place to live given the rise in criminal activity over the last few years but honestly, when you actually live there yourself it's almost as if it's not as bad as people think. You don't notice the bad stuff as much after awhile. Yeah, you don't really walk down the street alone at night unless you absolutely have to but isn't that the same everywhere when you're a woman? Then again, maybe I'm just making excuses because the alternative to living in Star City would be moving back in with my mom here. And it took way too long for me to get out of here to give up and move back just because of a few dumb criminals.” 

He laughed softly. 

“You sound like you've thought about this a lot,” 

“I have. I think about everything a lot. And then I talk about it. A lot…” 

This time when he laughed again, it was loudly and genuinely, and it made Felicity feel warm inside. She didn't even really mind that he was laughing _at_ her. 

“So what about you? You live there or are you just visiting the crime capital of the country to do some good?” She grinned. 

“I live there, just like you. But I also like to think I can do some good too,” 

“Do you also _like_ living in Star City just like me? Or do you only live there because the rent is cheaper on your typical 2 bedroomed apartment due to said rise in criminal activity?” 

“No, I love it there too. Everything and everyone I know and love is there since I grew up there. I kind of can't imagine living anywhere else. It’s just home. Simple as that,”

Felicity smiled. She could tell it wasn't just "simple as that" and that there was way more to what he was saying than he was actually saying but she wasn't about to push it. This guy made her so curious and she wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing. He was one of those people she imagined you could know forever and still never know everything about them. 

“And I guess the crime thing is easier to ignore for me,” he continued. “Given that I'm a guy,”

“Finally! A guy who acknowledges how easy life is for them!” Felicity laughed, making him laugh too.

Once he stopped laughing, he held out his hand and smiled. 

“I'm Oliver, by the way.” 

“Felicity.” 

Oliver. The name suited him. And now she could finally stop referring to him as “cute guy” inside her head. 

He laughed again and raised his eyebrows. 

“What's funny about my name?” She asked. 

“Nothing. I like your name. I'm just laughing about the part where you said you’ve been referring to me as ‘cute guy’ inside your head,” 

Felicity’s eyed widened and she felt herself blush hard. “I said that part out loud?” 

Oliver chuckled. “Unfortunately so.” 

She groaned and hid her face in her palms. 

“I'm so sorry. Please just ignore everything that comes out of my mouth. I can't really remember the last time I slept or ate or breathed fresh air and I'm seriously not in control of anything that comes out right now.” 

“Don't be sorry. I'll take a compliment wherever I can get it. Delirious and sleep deprived or otherwise.” 

“I'm sure you get plenty of compliments. Don't try to make me feel sorry for you,” 

Oliver snorted. “Not as many as you might think,” he said, almost thoughtfully. 

“It sounds like there's a story behind that,” 

“Not one you'd like to hear.” 

She tilted her head in question but Oliver looked away, obviously not wanting to talk anymore about it, and so she let it go. She couldn't possibly imagine a world in any universe where this man wouldn't be showered with infinite compliments but if he didn't want to talk about it then so be it. 

For a panicked second she wondered if she’d said that out loud too but a quick glance in his direction confirmed that thankfully, she hadn't. He was just sitting thoughtfully, a neutral expression on his face, one he definitely wouldn't be wearing if she _had_ accidentally said out loud the part about him being showered with compliments in every single universe. For the millionth time in her life, she thanked the google gods that most people couldn't read minds. Then again, knowing her luck, she’d probably end up sitting next to someone in the 1% of the population who could. How I Ended Up Sitting Next To A Telepathic Stranger almost sounded like the title of a really embarrassing memoir she could write one day. 

“So, Oliver, what do you do when you're not sitting around in airports talking to blonde nerds like me?” She asked, changing the subject and deciding that this guy couldn't actually read her mind even if her brain was insisting that maybe he could. 

He smiled at that. “What I do is boring and exactly why I get on planes to random cities every weekend just to escape.” 

“Every weekend?” 

“Well, almost every weekend. Minus, you know, Christmas and stuff.” 

“Wow. That sounds pretty pricey,” 

“If I told you what I did, you wouldn't think it was much of a price to pay,” 

“But you're not going to tell me what you do? Because it's boring, right?” 

“Right.” 

“But it's not _so_ boring that you can't afford to fly across the country every weekend though,” 

“I said it was boring. I didn't say it didn't pay well.” 

Felicity snorted. She appreciated bluntness and this guy was turning out to be exactly that. And whilst he was blunt, he was also mysterious and guarded. She liked that too. She liked having something to figure out. 

“Touché,” she smiled, laughing softly. 

He smiled back. “So, Felicity, what do you do when you're not sitting in airports talking to ‘cute guys’ like me?” he asked, winking at her. 

She blushed and had the urge to elbow him in the ribs but she didn't because hello? This guy was still stranger and she really wasn't about to cross over into his personal space any more than sharing the armrest with him. 

“I actually don't usually speak to cute guys in airports. Or guys in general. Or anyone really. Hence why what I do is sit in an office by myself fixing and programming computers for a boss who probably doesn't even remember my name. I like it that way. I like to just show up to work knowing that I probably won't have to speak to anyone for the entire day. Myself being the exception. Talking to myself actually helps me concentrate. But that's the only social interaction I like to participate in. Minimal social interaction means less chance to embarrass myself. Like I’m doing right now by giving you a stupidly long winded answer to a question that only needed a 4 or 5 word reply. And I'm going to shut up now since you're clearly not going to stop me,” 

Holy frack, she needed a nap. She really needed a nap. She wasn't ever going to shut up otherwise. She'd known this guy precisely 5 minutes and already given him a one way ticket to thinking she was a complete freak. Way to go, Felicity. 

She glanced over at him from behind her hair to find him smiling softly at her though, and not staring at her in complete bewilderment like she’d expected. Like people usually stared at her after she rambled about something. 

“Sorry… did I mention that I get chatty when I'm stressed?” She laughed, almost uncomfortably, feeling slightly awkward under his gaze. 

He laughed. “You did. And it's fine. You don't have to apologise. It's kind of endearing actually,” 

That made her laugh out loud. “Endearing? That's a new one. I'll remember that amongst the string of weird and freaky and annoying and irritating,” she deadpanned, rolling her eyes. 

An almost pensive look crossed his face then, but before she could question it too much he pushed it aside and smiled at her. “So you work in IT? It sounds complicated. My sister tried to teach me basic code once and I was completely hopeless.” 

“It's actually kind of fun once you know what you're doing. But I get that it's not for everyone. It definitely takes a certain amount of patience and brain focus to get it. Plus, staring at a screen for 12 hours a day does jacked up things to your eyes after awhile.” She gestured quickly to her face. “Hence the glasses that I now have to wear permanently as opposed to just for reading and writing like when I was a kid. And when you're a stubborn perfectionist like I am, a 12 hour day soon turns into a 15 or 16 hour day and then all of a sudden you can't really remember the last time you slept.” 

Oliver chuckled. “Yeah, I get that.” 

She smiled back. He really did look like he understood. What did this man do that he felt was so boring? Maybe it wasn't boring. Maybe that was just a cover up. Maybe it was embarrassing or a sacred secret thing. Maybe he wasn't a model, but a male escort or something? He had the looks for that too. And if he was used to working 16 hour days, she was sure he must have the stamina for it as well. _Holy frack, what was she even thinking?_

Before she could dwell too much on what she was thinking, Felicity caught wind of her favourite smell in the entire world and it stopped every single train of thought in her mind. 

“Oh my _god_ , do you _smell_ that?!” She asked no one in particular. 

Oliver looked confused. “Smell what?” 

“ _That_. Coffee!” 

Oliver looked at her then like maybe she was insane for yelling about warm, caffeinated drinks in the middle of an airport but holy _frack_ , it smelled like the greatest cup of coffee ever and she just couldn't help herself. And okay, it probably _wasn't_ the greatest cup of coffee because this was an airport and airport coffee tended to be so overpriced that it took away some of the taste but it was gone 2 in the morning and the last time she’d had a cup of coffee was _hours_ ago. 

“Felicity, I really can't smell anything,” 

“How can you not smell that?! I can hardly remember the last time I even looked at a cup of coffee. Do you think someone has a thermostat with pre-made coffee in? Or do you think there's maybe one store open that sells it?! I thought everything was closed!” 

“You should probably ask that guy over there,” Oliver said, laughing somewhat awkwardly, and gesturing to his left where a man was standing with a steaming styrofoam cup. “That is, if he hasn't already heard you yelling about it…” 

Felicity ignored his sarcastic remark and didn't even think twice about leaving her bag and walking just slow enough to not look like she was running over to the man. She tapped him on the shoulder. 

“Excuse me? Is that coffee yours? Wait, I mean, _obviously_ it's yours, you're the one drinking it, duh. What I meant was, did you bring it or is there a coffee shop open somewhere? Only I looked around earlier but I couldn't see anywhere that was open given how late it is, or early I guess, and it would honestly just be the best thing ever if you knew where I could get some? I’m really hoping you do know because if you’re smart and just brought your own coffee rather than buying it somewhere here then I'm probably going to start crying and-” 

“Felicity?” She felt a hand on her arm and quickly registered in her suddenly desperately coffee-starved state that it belonged to Oliver. 

He had nice hands. Why hadn't she noticed that yet? Warm and firm hands that were soft at the same time. 

“Is she okay?” She heard the man with the coffee ask. 

“She's just tired. And I think what she was trying to ask is if you know where we can get some coffee, please?” Oliver replied, smiling humorously, like he was trying to hold back a laugh. 

Great, he was laughing at her again. Why did her brain hate her so much that she continuously made an idiot out of herself? She smiled up at the man, embarrassed. 

“I'm sorry. And he's right. That’s exactly what I was trying to ask. I know it probably didn't sound like it but, alas, it was. I was getting to it. Eventually,” she shrugged, wishing the ground would swallow her whole. 

“There's a cafe a couple of minutes away, down that way, by the lost and found counter. They close soon but yeah, they have coffee. It's crappy but for 2am, it's almost not bad at the same time,” he laughed, pointing behind them. 

The hole Felicity was imagining falling into evaporated instantly. Being swallowed by the earth could wait for now. There was plenty of time for it later. After she’d _finally_ got her damn cup of crappy airport coffee. 

“Oh my _god_ , thank you so much!” She exclaimed, only just managing to fight back the urge to reach up and hug this man. 

“Um, you're welcome? Enjoy,” he replied, turning back to look out of the window again, but she barely heard him. All she could think about was that crappy cup of airport coffee.

“Do you want one too?” She asked Oliver, practically bouncing with anticipation.

“Sure. I'm not sure I'm quite as excited about it as you are, but I could drink a coffee right now,” 

He handed her over her bag, the bag she’d just completely forgotten about and left on the floor when she’d ran over to talk to that guy. It was sweet, in a way. He didn't have to care what happened to her stuff if she left it abandoned in an airport, he didn't even _know_ her, but he’d made sure nothing happened to it all the same. She smiled and took it from him, slipping the strap over her shoulder. 

“Thanks. I guess I probably shouldn't leave this lying around. In an airport of all places. I promise I'm not a terrorist. Which I guess is something a terrorist would say. But I'm serious! I don't have any bombs on me. Oh god, I can't believe I just said the B word in an airport, I'm going to-”

“Felicity? Relax. I know you're not a terrorist. You look like the kind of person who would pick up snails from the pavement and put them into the grass so they wouldn't get trampled on, not the kind of person who would blow up an airport.” She chuckled at that because he was so right. She was the least terrorising person she could think of. “You were just excited. Easy mistake to make,” he laughed. “Anyway, coffee?” 

Ah, that six letter word. Her favourite six letter word in the entire world.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy first day of June! Who else is a June bithday baby like me? 
> 
> In true me fashion, you'll probably realise that although I said there was only going to be two chapters to this story, once again, it took on a mind of its own and now there's going to be 3. Maybe 4. We'll see. I'm just having so much fun with this!! And after reading, can you guess which classic trope is going to be in the next chapter??? ;) 
> 
> Anyway! I hope you enjoy this! I'm still con-lagged (like jet lagged except after a convention, you know?) from HVFF over the weekend so any typos and grammar mistakes can be blamed on that. And the fact that I still don't have a beta. It's just me on my one woman team! Feel free to let me know your thoughts after you're done and if anyone wants to know any gossip from HVFF, feel free to follow me me on Twitter because its all I can talk about lately. (@butpeaceyo) Also! Precious little Emily Bett designed me a tattoo that I got done yesterday so you can see that on my Twitter too! I'm done rambling now... enjoy!

“Whoa, wait. How many of those are you ordering?" 

"Six." 

"Why six?"

"Well, three for me and three for you. This place closes in five minutes and I'm gonna need more than one coffee to make it through tonight without falling asleep on you. And I figured you needed that much too." 

He stared at her, an almost bemused expression on his face. 

"But of course you don't! You're probably not addicted to caffeine like I am and you look like you're already used to not getting any more than 2 hours sleep at night. Not that I'm saying you look tired. I mean, you do, but like, not in a bad way. Not in a bad way at all! Your face is totally not bad. Not bad at all…” She stared in horror at him as her brain caught up with what her mouth was saying. “Please feel free to stop me at any point! Any point right about 30 words ago would be perfect! Or just, you know, any point around the start of this entire conversation?” 

Oliver laughed. He was laughing at her, again. Where was that metaphorical hole in the earth when she needed it? 

"Maybe I'll just get two coffees," she smiled, embarrassed but feeling sort of warm inside. He had a nice laugh, even if hearing it was at her expense. "I don't think my brain needs anymore stimulating at the moment." 

Oliver chuckled softly and leaned over the counter. 

"We'll just take three coffees, please. Not six. I can pay by card, right?"

"Hey, wait! I'm paying! These are on me," 

"Felicity, it's fine. I won't miss 20 bucks," 

"Okay, but these are overpriced and you're only drinking one anyway! At least let me pay for my extra one," 

“Let me do something nice for you and buy these. Please?” 

“Why do you want to do something nice for me?” 

“Because this day was one of the most depressingly boring days in my entire life until you somehow ended up in it and I think that means I should buy you your coffee,” he smiled. “Please?” 

God, he was cute. Like a little puppy. He definitely had eyes like a puppy. And usually guys had ulterior motives when they wanted to do something nice for her but Oliver had seemed genuine since the moment he started eavesdropping on her conversation. Which in itself was kind of ironic when she thought about it. Not to mention that if she said no, he’d probably annoy her about it until their flight finally did take off. He looked like the kind of person who could be extremely annoying beneath all the cute and she really didn't think she had the energy to put up with it.

“ _Fine_. As long as you let me do something nice for you at some point tonight, okay?” She smiled, admitting defeat a lot quicker than she usually would. Felicity could be stubborn as hell when she wanted to be. “And thanks,” she added, gratefully. 

Oliver returned her smile, except his smile looked more like the one of someone who’d just been offered a free round the world trip as he handed over his card to the cashier to ring up the coffees. Maybe she wasn't the only one who was so heavily influenced by sleep deprivation and lack of caffeine after all. 

Speaking of caffeine… all of a sudden a piping hot cup of it was being handed to her and right then in that moment, she didn't care about her delayed flight or having embarrassed herself in front of two strangers in the last 15 minutes or the warnings on the news that the storm might cut out all the power in the city any second. She finally had her crappy cup of overpriced airport coffee and she was not letting anyone or anything ruin this moment for her. 

“Do you want to sit down or- no, okay, you're just going to drink it right here,” Oliver said, but she barely heard him. 

For a crappy and overpriced cup of airport coffee, she didn't think she’d ever tasted anything better. She didn't even care that it was kind of burning her mouth and throat as she gulped it down. She’d savour the second cup. This first cup was a matter of survival. She drank the first cup in 30 seconds flat, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand after swallowing the last gulp. Suddenly becoming aware of her surroundings and the fact that she’d acted like a complete freak in front of Oliver, she smiled sheepishly at him. 

“That was amazing,” Oliver laughed. “I don't think I've ever seen anyone drink a burning hot cup of coffee quite so quickly before. I'm actually kind of worried. Are you sure you're okay?” He teased, leaning over and pressing his palm against her forehead in a gesture she assumed was him checking her temperature. 

_There go those nice hands again_ , Felicity thought to herself, fully enjoying the feel of them against her skin. 

“I'm good. I'm fine. Kind of really warm and my throat is burning but still good. I really needed that,” she replied, trying to ignore the way her mouth was feeling and how suddenly lightheaded she’d become from the heat of her coffee warming her up so quickly when she hadn't even been cold to begin with. 

Oliver gave her a strange look though, so she guessed she wasn't doing a great job of trying to look like she wasn't about to pass out. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Yup. Just a little dizzy. Is it me or is it really hot in here?” She asked, fanning herself with her hand, desperately trying to cool herself down. 

“Maybe this second cup of coffee really isn't a good idea…” 

“You're probably right,” she laughed nervously, feeling a little steadier than she had done a few seconds ago but not completely out of the woods yet. 

“Lets go and sit down over there,” Oliver gestured to a small seating area a few metres away by a particularly sad looking water feature. “It's quieter than over by the flight gate and you look like you really need to sit down,” 

Felicity nodded and didn't even question when he linked his arm through hers and guided her over towards the chair. She felt better, definitely capable of walking by herself, but she really wasn't about to refuse his arm if he wanted to help her. She even found herself leaning into him a little, and he took her weight with ease. Holding onto his forearm to steady herself now that she had committed to pretending she was about to faint, she noticed straight away how solid they were. _So solid_. She could picture perfectly how tanned and veiny they were underneath the long sleeves of his shirt. That thought almost made her feel dizzy again for real. 

Once they were sitting down again, he looked over her worriedly. 

“Are you sure you're okay? You really didn't look so good earlier,” 

“I'm fine, I promise. I think I just drank that coffee too quickly,” she laughed, knowing that was the understatement of the week. 

“I was worried you were going to pass out on me,” 

“I'm sure you would've caught me,” Felicity replied, thinking again about his solid forearms, not even realising until the words were out of her mouth how excerpt-from-a-teenage-romance-novel she sounded. 

She blushed. “Not that I meant anything by that. You just look… strong. Really strong,” 

Oh _god_ , why did everything she said somehow end up making everything worse? 

Thankfully, by some grace of the google gods, she was saved by an announcement being made over the airport tannoy system. 

_“This is an announcement for passengers of flight 812 to Star City; the flight has been cancelled indefinitely due to severe weather conditions and we recommend that all passengers make overnight plans in a nearby hotel. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. We will continue to update you all via text alerts or email on when the next available flight will be. Thank you for your patience.”_

Around them, Felicity could hear a string of curses and groans and sighs, the former of which came from her own mouth. 

“Ugh, fuck, I can't believe I actually have to stay here another night!” 

Oliver laughed. “I never took you for someone who curses,” 

Rolling her eyes Felicity sighed. “I don't usually. But this is just fucking irritating! Why do the google gods hate me so much that they actually want me to have to spend another night with my mother?” 

“Why don't you get a hotel?” 

“No offence to your intelligence, Oliver, but do you know how expensive airport hotels are? Do I really _look_ like someone who can afford to just drop 700 bucks on a hotel room for one night?” She asked, slightly snappily as she took her phone out from her purse. 

“I don't mind paying for a room for you,” 

“Don't be ridiculous. You don't even know me! Why would you even offer?” 

“Because, like I already said earlier, I have a boring job that pays well _and_ I like you Felicity. You’ve made this delayed flight one of the most interesting evenings of my life. In my mind it's completely reasonable of me to at least offer to pay for your room for that,” 

For not the first time that night, Felicity was completely taken aback by what Oliver was saying. Everything in her was telling her to argue with him, to tell him how stupid it was for him to even offer such a thing, that she’d be fine just staying one more night with her mom, wishing him a good life and then never speaking to him again. Because that was the reality, right? If she didn't accept his offer she’d go back to her mom’s place and he’d check into a hotel and they'd probably end up on different flights home and never see each other again. The thought made her swallow hard. She hated to admit how much she grown to enjoy Oliver’s company over the last few hours. She knew letting him pay for her hotel room would be selfish, but he _had_ offered; no one was forcing him to do that. 

“You really don't owe me anything, Oliver. I haven't done anything except be my normal, embarrassing self,” Felicity laughed softly, catching his eye. 

“Not embarrassing. Endearing. I already told you,” 

She rolled her eyes in dismissal at his comment but felt her cheeks warm anyway. She couldn't decide whether she absolutely hated or actually kind of liked the effect he had on her. It had been a long time since she’d experienced these kinds of emotions and deep down, she really was enjoying them. 

“Okay fine, if I agree and let you pay for my room, will you promise to stop saying things like that, please?”

Oliver chuckled. “Deal. Any preference? I've heard the Hilton is nice.” 

She opened her mouth to argue that the Hilton was far too expensive, but the look on his face told her it wasn't worth it. Sighing, she relented. 

“I literally do not care. As long as you don't tell me how much you're paying and as long as I can _finally_ sleep, I honestly don't care.” 

Laughing, Oliver took out his phone and began to dial. 

 

Barely an hour passed before they were standing in the lobby of one of the nicest hotels Felicity had ever been in. She felt completely out of place in her crumpled dress and no makeup, dragging her non-designer suitcase behind her now that they'd been given back their luggage, but she was slowly reaching that point of sleep deprivation where she could feel the earth actually vibrating under her feet and she really just needed to sleep. Thankfully the only people around at 3 in the morning to judge her were the receptionists on the desk. 

“Hi, I called earlier and made a last minute reservation? It's Oliver Queen,” Oliver said to the girl behind the desk, flashing her a gorgeous smile that she could tell the girl appreciated, even though she remained professional and didn't react. 

Felicity fought the urge to snort upon hearing his last name. Queen was such an elite sounding surname. No wonder he had plenty of money. She imagined with a surname like that, that money just fell into your bank account. But it suited him. It suited him _a lot_. She hated to admit that hearing his full name actually made him _more_ attractive. She wondered if he had a middle name. 

“One room, yes?” The receptionist asked.

“No, two. I asked for two rooms. Under the same name,” 

“Oh, I'm sorry, sir. We only have one room available. Due to the weather we’ve had an influx of bookings and the only room left is a double room,” 

“That's okay, we’ll take it,” 

Felicity almost choked on her tongue at that. They were _absolutely not_ going to take that room. 

Somehow managing to hold onto her composure when all she wanted to do was yell, she cleared her throat as politely as possible to get his attention. 

“Oliver? Can I speak to you a sec, please? Over there?” She asked, gesturing to their left away from the desk. 

Oliver gave the receptionist a slightly apologetic look before following Felicity to where they were out of earshot. Or out of earshot enough that she could talk in a raised whisper without worrying too much about being heard.

“What are you _doing_?” She asked, not at all caring about being polite now. 

“You need to sleep. I'm getting you somewhere to do that,” 

“But they only have one room! Where are you going to sleep?!” 

“I'll be fine. I'll let you have the bed and I'll just stay up and watch TV or something. Don't worry, honestly,” 

“You are _not_ going to pay for a room and then not even sleep in it, Oliver,” 

She watched him smirk a little at that and slowly realised how slightly suggestive her choice of words sounded. 

“Not that there would be anything wrong with that, I mean, what you choose to do in your own time is none of my business and if you want to pay for a hotel room just to have sex or something, that's completely your choice. Not that that's what _we're_ going to do. Not at all. I mean, I'm sure that would be nice but we’re not going to do that. That's not what I meant at all- you know? I really don't appreciate you laughing at me right now, Oliver. I'm really fucking angry actually at how crazy you're acting,” 

He stopped smirking then, clearly realising she was serious, probably taken aback once again by her cursing, and that now wasn't the time to make fun of her. He frowned. 

“What is so crazy about me wanting to make sure you get some sleep?! Why can't you just let me do that for you? I really think you're overreacting,” 

“ _I’m_ overreacting? Why are you so adamant on being so ridiculous all the time, Oliver? I'm not going to have you pay for a room with only one bed if you're not going to sleep in it and that's that. So how about you take the room and I'll just go back to the airport and wait there,” 

“Now who’s being ridiculous? You can't just sit in an airport all night! What if you fall asleep and someone steals your stuff?” Oliver argued, his mouth forming a firm line. 

God, he was exasperating. She was definitely right earlier about him being annoying underneath all the cute. She couldn't believe they were bickering like this in the middle of a fancy hotel lobby but more than that, she couldn't believe the way Oliver was acting. How was he so chill and calm about them sharing a room? Had he forgotten that until a couple of hours ago, neither of them had even known about the other’s existence? And that aside, she really didn't know if she could handle being cooped up in a hotel room with Oliver all night. How was she supposed to stop herself from babbling inappropriately for _hours_? She couldn't, she knew she couldn't. 

“Why would someone even steal my- you know what? I'm not even going to argue with you. I'm calling a cab and going back to the airport,” 

She turned away from him and started to head back towards the desk but she felt Oliver's hand on her arm then, taking hold of her wrist and effectively stopping her in her tracks. All of the fight had disappeared from his face then and for the first time that night, she realised how truly exhausted he looked. 

“Please, Felicity. Don't be like this. You're tired and you need to rest. Just take the room. Please,” 

_Loooord_ he had to stop looking at her like that. He really did. She was going to have a heart attack if she saw him make that stupid little puppy face again tonight. And his hands were on her again. His fucking _hands_ that were soft and warm and firm all at the same time and making her skin tingle wherever they touched. 

Suddenly feeling dead on her feet, Felicity sighed in defeat. 

“Fine. We’ll take the room. But the bed is yours. I'll sleep on the couch. There has to be a couch in the room somewhere. That's my final offer before I call a cab and go back to the airport,” 

Oliver practically beamed at her then and she felt herself blush. “Deal,” he smiled, moving his hand from her wrist to her palm and giving her hand a shake. 

She smiled back, trying to look begrudging but got lost in how nice it felt to hold his hand. Nice wasn't a strong enough word but she didn't have the energy or brain capacity to think of a better adjective right now. She fought off the urge to giggle - yes, _to giggle_ \- at how nice it felt to have his hand in hers. She didn't even have the presence of mind to tell herself to get a grip. And if Oliver noticed the giddiness she could feel in her eyes just then, he didn't say. 

It was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, please leave me a comment! I find it super difficult to continue writing without encouragement from others and so every single comment means the absolute world to me!
> 
> Feel free to leave any prompts or questions for me on Tumblr! My ask is right [HERE](http://wetsuiton.tumblr.com/ask) and I'm on there everyday :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could apologise for the length of time it's taken me to update this fic but you've heard it all before. Saying that, I took part in the Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon and posted every single week for five whole months. Which is pretty good going I think! And all being well I'll be taking part in NaNoWriMo next month as well! So if you don't hear anything from me for like, the next 6 weeks or so, that's why. 
> 
> ANYWAY.
> 
> Please let me know what you think of this once you're done! :)

“Are you sure I can’t persuade you to take the bed?”

“I’m perfectly sure, Oliver. I’m absolutely fine over here on the couch. Which by the way, is bigger and more comfortable than my actual bed at home. I think I might just _move_ into this hotel.”

She really wasn’t lying. This hotel was incredible. And even though she told Oliver not to tell her how much he’d paid for this room, she could practically see that 4 digit total everywhere she looked inside this room. Rooms like this were just… _excessive_. Who needed this kind of luxury for a one night stay next to the airport? 

Oliver laughed. “Still, I really would feel better if you took the bed.” 

“Sucks to be you,” Felicity deadpanned, grinning at him. 

“You remind me of my sister right now. I swear that’s her favourite phrase.”

“You have a sister?” 

“Yup. 10 years younger than me. So you can imagine the fights we had growing up, I’m sure,” Oliver chuckled. 

“I don’t know. Someone like you with a sister an entire decade younger… sounds more like overbearing overprotectiveness. That she probably hated on the surface but adored deep down. Am I right?” Felicity asked, pretty sure already that she was. 

“If by that you mean threatening to hit her boyfriends if they ever broke her heart, asking her to text me more times than my mom whenever she went out with her friends, making sure she was never drinking underage and then trying my best to stop her from drinking even once she turned 21? Yeah, pretty much. Although, I’m not sure she adored it deep down. _At all_.” 

“I don’t have any siblings, but I can assure you that if I had an older brother like that, I might feel suffocated and irritated sometimes but most of all I’d just feel safe, I think,” Felicity replied, thoughtfully, surprised she could even string together a thoughtful sentence at all given how exhausted she was. 

Speaking of which… Felicity stifled a yawn. Or at least, she tried to. Oliver chuckled. 

“You’re right. We should probably get some sleep. I mean, that _is_ the reason we got this hotel room after all,” he said, smiling at her from across the room on the bed. 

She smiled back. “I’m good just talking. I mean, I’d actually like to find out a little more about you before I fall asleep anyway. Considering I don’t usually fall asleep in hotel rooms with strangers. It’d be nice to know you’re not a murderer or something. Not that you’d just tell me if you were a murderer. But I like to think I’m a pretty good judge of character and would be able to tell if you were, you know?” 

Oliver laughed and Felicity felt her cheeks blush. Maybe she should have just taken his offer and gone to sleep? 

“Well, since we _are_ going to spend the night together and either one of us could be a murderer, I don’t think it’s a bad idea for us to know each other a little more actually,” he grinned, amusement shining in his eyes. “Maybe we could play a little game?”

“You're not about to suggest we play 20 questions are you? Because if you are you sound like every guy who has ever asked for my number ever in my life,” Felicity laughed, raising her eyebrows at him. 

Oliver chuckled. “I actually was. I'm sorry for contributing to what I’m sure is a depressingly large statistic.” 

“I don't know how many guys you think have asked me for my number but I would say ‘depressingly large’ is slightly overestimating it. I'd go for just below averagely large, probably.” 

“I find it hard to believe that the number of guys who have asked for your number is below average.” 

Felicity looked away and blushed instinctively. And then her brain finally caught up with what he’d actually said and she blushed even harder. She didn't really even _know_ him? Why was he saying things like that? She knew she had a tendency to read too much into things but was he calling her cute? Not in those exact words but… he was, right? Was he _flirting_?

Looking back at him she found him just smiling at her, seemingly oblivious to the impact his words were having on her insides. And on her outsides too she realised with horror as she felt her flaming cheeks and rushed to cover them with her palms. 

“I'm not blushing!” She said quickly, her voice slightly louder and high pitched than in general conversation. 

Oliver laughed and then grinned at her. “I didn't say you were.”

“No seriously, I'm not!” Why did her voice sound like that? She had to pull herself together. Felicity coughed and tried to clear her throat. “It's just hot in here. And I think the caffeine is finally making its way through my face and into my brain.” 

What was she talking about? 

Oliver placed a hand on her arm and smiled. 

“Relax, I'm sorry for whatever I said that made you react like this. I know we don't even know each other and it probably made you feel weird. I won't say anything like that again, I promise.” 

Glancing at his face, he looked sincere. There was a gleam in his eye that told her he really liked the impact his words had had on her but besides that, he did look like he meant what he was saying. She felt herself relax the slightest bit and smiled back. 

“Thank you. I would really appreciate that.” 

She expected him to remove his hand from her arm then, now that she’d reassured him she was going to chill out but he didn't seem in any hurry to. Which wasn't helping the whole chilling out thing she was trying to do. In fact, it was making her feel _so_ far from chill. Because _damn it_ he had nice hands (had she already mentioned that?) and they were so warm and firm and she could feel her skin literally burning up beneath his touch. It had been a _long_ time since anyone had had this effect on her and she was definitely embarrassed by how much her body was reacting to his. And just his hands! She couldn't even imagine how she’d react if any other part of him touched her. Like his cheek. Or his mouth. Or his- _nope_. She was _not_ going there. Except she already had and now it was all she could think about and her eyes were dropping to his lap before she could even tell herself to look the other way. Look any other way. Any other way that wasn't his crotch. 

Her cheeks that had slightly cooled just a minute ago were suddenly flaming again and she could feel the blush run down her neck and along her chest. What was _wrong_ with her? 

“Um, Oliver?” She moved the arm that he was still resting his palm on. “That's not helping. _Really_ not helping.”

He broke the contact instantly and smiled somewhat sheepishly. 

“Sorry.”

“No! No, don't be sorry. It was… nice. That was really nice. You have nice hands but they aren't helping with the whole me trying to relax thing. I've been single a long time and I just- Oh my god! Why am I telling you this?!” 

Caffeine had been a bad idea. A _verrrry_ bad idea. She was a few seconds away from full on panic mode, she could tell. She needed some _air_. 

“Okay so you know how earlier I said I wasn't a terrorist? Do you mind looking after my bag whilst I just run to the bathroom please? I promise there's no bombs in there. I mean, if there _were_ I would definitely have detonated them by now just to get myself out of this situation because my mouth just _will not stop talking_ and although you're smiling and I can tell you want to laugh, this really is not fun for me. This is my life, everyday, you know?” 

Oliver choked back a laugh and instead offered her a small smile. “Go. I'll look after your bag for you. If you're not out in 10 minutes I'm coming to check you haven't climbed out of the window.” 

How had he known that was her plan? Okay, so it really _wasn't_ her plan because she was still wearing her dress and they were on the third floor and it was pouring with rain and thunder terrified her, but it had definitely crossed her mind. Speaking of which, now would probably be a good time to change into something comfier to sleep in. She wracked her brain trying to remember which pyjamas she’d packed and prayed to the google gods that they were at least a little bit cute and didn’t have any holes in. Knowing her luck though, they probably would. 

She smiled gratefully back at him. “Thank you. I really appreciate it. I promise I'll be less like _this_ when I come back. I think I just consumed way too much caffeine way too quickly. All I need to do is change out of these clothes that I’ve been wearing for what feels like 50 hours, drink some water and chill out a little. I think everyone present here would benefit from that.” 

Laughing softly, Oliver smiled at her. “I think you’re fine, but if that’s what you want to do, go ahead. Take all the time you need. Take a shower or even a bath and-

“Wait, there’s a _bath_ in this hotel room?” 

“Um… yeah?” 

“I’ve never stayed in a hotel room with a bath! My apartment back home doesn’t even have a bath!” Felicity said excitedly, her previous embarrassment forgotten for the moment with the new information that she was just metres away from a bathtub. 

“Just promise me you won’t fall asleep in there if you do take a bath. Because otherwise I’m gonna have to come in there and check you haven’t drowned,” Oliver laughed. 

“And that would mean seeing me naked. Which I don’t want. Not that there’s anything particularly wrong with my body, like I workout and stuff and I only get takeout once a week most of the time but still. There are some things you just _don’t_ share with someone you only recently met. And I think boobs and stuff fall under that category. Unless, you know, you don’t care about that stuff. Which is totally, totally fine. It’s just not for me. I’m going to stop talking now,” Felicity babbled, realising in horror that her mouth was actually talking about her naked body right now. 

“That would be my preference,” Oliver replied, looking at her strangely, his jaw stiff. No, strange wasn’t the right word. _Intense_. That was the right word. His gaze made her stomach flip. The embarrassment she’d temporarily forgotten about suddenly came flooding back. She really needed to get away from Oliver for awhile. If she spent much more time this close to him she was afraid she might actually implode.

“I’m just gonna…” She gestured to the bathroom door and then quickly turned around and headed towards it, grabbing her suitcase as she passed it and pulling it into the bathroom behind her. 

Once she was safely behind the bathroom door, she rested her forehead against it and just stood there, trying to remember how to breathe normally. She couldn’t hear Oliver for a few moments but she listened anyway, listened for any sign or indication that he was about to just grab his stuff and leave rather than having to spend the night with her, but then the TV came on and she heard him crack open what she assumed was a can of soda and the break in silence made her body relax almost instantly. And it was just the break in silence. Not the realisation that he was staying. It wasn’t that _at all_. 

Except it was. It _so_ was. 

She was so done for. 

 

Surprisingly, or not really, taking a bath really did help Felicity relax a little. She didn’t let herself relax _completely_ because she was all too aware of that fact that she actually could fall asleep at any second and drowning was not a good look. On anyone really. But she was relaxed enough that she almost couldn’t really hear the storm outside anymore, the crashes of thunder and lightening and the rain lashing against the windows. The power had flickered several times over the last half an hour but thankfully, it had stayed on. 

Felicity used the time whilst she soaked under the bubbles (yes, this hotel even provided _bubble bath_ ) to absolutely _not_ think about the weird turn this day had taken or how surreal it was to be in this incredible hotel with Oliver right now or how ridiculously attractive Oliver became to her the longer she was around him. Except that’s exactly all she could think about. That and the fact that she just couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d seen Oliver somewhere before, that she _knew_ him even. But the more she thought about that, the less she could place where she’d seen him before and the more her memory became fuzzled so eventually she gave up on that. For now, at least. But she’d figure it out. Felicity _always_ figured things out. Mysteries bugged her to no end and Oliver was turning out to be a very big one. But she was just _so tired_ at this point that her brain wasn’t exactly functioning to its highest potential. Or any potential at all really. Which just left her back at how crazy it was to be sharing this hotel room with him. And how attractive he was. Okay, mostly just how attractive he was. 

Whispering to herself to pull herself together, Felicity climbed out of the bath and pulled the plug, wrapping herself in a huge, fluffy, white towel that was definitely at least 3 times as expensive as the towels she used at home and padded over to the mirror. This hotel really did have everything it seemed, and that included two brand new toothbrushes sitting side by side in a ceramic pot by the sink underneath the mirror which seemed utterly ridiculous because who would travel without their toothbrush? Felicity didn’t miss, however, the slightly intimate and domestic feelings that fluttered inside her seeing the toothbrushes. As she took one of them from the pot and began to clean her teeth, she wondered what it would be like to share a bathroom with someone like this everyday. Given that her track record when it came to relationships was just a handful of short term boyfriends who turned out to be assholes, she’d never actually been in the right headspace to wonder about what it would be like to be with someone indefinitely. And it wasn’t that _Oliver_ was making her think otherwise but… she imagined that it’d be pretty nice waking up to a face like his every morning. Which was definitely the understatement of the century. 

Shaking her head and ineffectively trying to rid herself of _those_ thoughts, Felicity leaned down and unzipped her suitcase, taking out her hairbrush, skincare and pyjamas. She contemplated drying her hair but all of a sudden she just couldn’t stop thinking about how tired she was and how if she just hurried up, she could probably be fast asleep within the next 20 minutes. 

By some miracle, her pyjamas _didn’t_ have holes in after all, not that it mattered much since she’d barely had chance to slip into her shorts, let alone put on a shirt when the power suddenly cut out and plunged the entire bathroom into complete darkness. 

Felicity couldn’t help the squeal that left her mouth, and she wasn’t sure whether it was just from surprise or terror, but given her racing heartbeat, she was pretty sure it was the latter. The relaxed state her body had been in just moments ago evaporated completely and she was all too aware of how loud the storm was outside, how heavy the rain was, how strong the wind was, how close together the shocks of thunder and lightening were which meant that the storm was probably directly above them. 

“Felicity?” She heard Oliver call her name from outside the door. 

“Yeah?” 

She couldn’t believe how unsettled her voice sounded. She knew she didn’t like storms but she had no idea she’d be _this_ shaken up by them.

"Are you alright?" 

"Yep!” She laughed, nervously. “Just, you know, a teensy bit scared of thunder. And the dark. And also not having access to the internet. Which seems unrelated but I swear it’s not. And given that I’m currently experiencing all three of those things in one go right now? Sketching me out a little, not gonna lie." 

"Are you done in the bath? Do you want to come out here?" 

"Um, I’m done, yeah. And I really would prefer to be out there with you instead of in here alone but I’m literally half naked and I can’t find my shirt in the dark and you know how earlier I mentioned how I didn’t think it was appropriate to-“ 

“Just open the door a crack and I’ll hand you my shirt, okay?” Oliver interrupted. 

Felicity swallowed hard at the image her brain created of her wearing Oliver’s shirt. She wondered if it would smell just like him. How warm it would be coming right off of his body and onto hers.

“But then what will you wear?” 

“I’m good. It’s not cold.” 

And just like that, the image in her brain switched to Oliver lying in bed completely shirtless and _oh holy hell_ if that wasn’t the most enticing thought she’d ever had. She shivered and ignored the warm feeling fluttering around in her lower stomach at that. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yes, I’m sure. Just crack the door open, I have my shirt here ready to give to you.” 

Following his instructions, she opened the door just enough to slip her hand out. After taking the shirt from Oliver and slipping it over her head (she was right, it _did_ smell just like him and it _was_ deliciously warm from his body heat) she quickly took a deep breath and tried to calm her thoughts down a little before stepping out of the bathroom.

“Where are you?”

"Just walk forwards until you reach the bed and then climb up, I'll find you."

“But I’m sleeping on the couch!” 

“I don’t think either of us can do much sleeping until this storm passes so we might as well just sit together until it does. We’ll hardly be able to hear each other if you’re sitting across the room from me!” 

God, she wanted to argue. She _really_ did want to argue. She wanted to ignore him and try to find her way over to the couch herself but she just _knew_ she’d fall over something and make this situation ten times worse and the idea of a bed was just _really_ appealing right now, even more so a bed with _Oliver_ in it and all logic and reason just speed walked right out of her brain as she stood there in the doorway, feeling her wet hair drip onto her back and soak through Oliver’s shirt in places. The decision to not dry her hair was probably the wrong one, she considered briefly before giving up and walking slowly forwards until she reached the side of the bed. As her eyes started to adjust to the darkness, she could see Oliver sitting up on the other side with his back to the headboard. She followed suit and did the same on her side of the bed, being careful not to sit _too_ close, because he _was_ completely shirtless after all and she was afraid she might reach out to touch him; she wondered if his stomach was just as solid as his arms. Keeping some distance between them was absolutely the right thing to do, she told herself. Just in case something destroyed the tiny bit of rationality she had left which was stopping her from just crawling under the covers and asking him to spoon her. Or, you know, something else. 

Wearing his shirt and sharing a bed had _really_ set off that part of her brain again.

“Thanks for the shirt,” Felicity said, once she was settled on the bed. 

“You’re welcome. I’m just mad it took a complete power cut for you to be in it because I can’t even see you.” 

_Thank god_ , Felicity thought, feeling the blush on her cheeks burning. She hated how hearing him say that made her feel and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep blaming this entire situation on the two of them just being tired. She also didn’t have the energy to ask him again to _please not_ say things like that. Because she was done fighting the part of herself that really enjoyed hearing him say those things to her. 

“I suppose you’ll just have to wait until tomorrow. Which is actually _today_ considering it’s almost 5am. The sun will be rising in just over an hour. Ugh _god_ I should be getting up for work soon but I’m not even in the same state and I can’t call my boss because I have no cell battery and I can’t send an email because there’s no wi-fi thanks to the storm. If I lose my job because of this, I’m gonna sue the entire state of Nevada. Can I do that?” 

“I’m not sure you can sue an entire state just because of the weather, but then again, I’m not a lawyer,” Oliver chuckled. 

“Are you _ever_ going to tell me what you actually do? And by ever, I obviously mean tonight. Because I’m pretty sure we probably won’t see each other again after tonight. I have a feeling we live in completely different worlds.” 

The longer Felicity spoke, the more reality hit. She was right, she knew she was. As nice as today had been, she and Oliver were nothing alike. They’d have nothing in common in the real world. The little blur of reality they’d been living in today was all they’d ever have. The thought was harrowing. And she could blame her emotions on the lack of sleep all she wanted, but the truth was that she’d just enjoyed spending time with Oliver. And she wished they could have more of it. 

“Actually, Felicity, I’m kind of just waiting for you to figure out what I do,” Oliver said, cutting into her internal monologue. 

“What do you mean?” Felicity asked. “I’m not psychic.”

“I know that. But I just… I think you _know_ already.” 

The way he was looking at her gave her deja-vu. Bad. _Really bad_. 

And suddenly she was nineteen again on her first day as an intern at Queen Consolidated ten years ago, tripping over her own feet as she chewed on her pen stepping out of the elevator, dropping all of her stationery and paperwork onto the floor and falling right into the arms of the most attractive man she’d ever seen in her life. 

The man she’d later find out was her boss’s, boss’s, boss’s boss. Or something like that anyway. High enough up the chain of capitalism that she never saw him again. Except for his name in small print on her one and only paycheque before she left the company less than two months later when another company across town offered her a permanent position with them without her even needing to complete an internship.

God, she knew she’d been tired today. She _knew_ she had been. But surely, _surely_ she should have recognised him?! 

_Everyone_ knew Oliver. 

Oliver Queen.

_Oliver freaking Queen._

Did he _know_? Given by the way he was currently looking at her, like she might suddenly disappear into thin air right in front of his eyes any second, she guessed that was a yes. 

“Oh. Frack,” Felicity whispered in horror as the full realisation of the situation hit her. 

“I had a feeling you were going to say that,” Oliver replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY FOR THAT CLIFFHANGER. PLEASE DON'T HATE ME. 
> 
> Let me know your thoughts in a comment please!! I appreciate and reply to every single one! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Please, please leave me a comment! I find it super difficult to continue writing without encouragement from others and so every single comment means the absolute world to me!
> 
> Feel free to leave any prompts or questions for me on Tumblr! My ask is right [HERE](http://wetsuiton.tumblr.com/ask) and I'm on there everyday :)


End file.
